A Lewisham man will serve eight years in prison for two counts of rape and two counts of actual bodily harm.

Michael Nwachukwu, 29, of Catford, was sentenced on Friday in Woolwich Crown Court, after a five-day trial in August.

On the evening of October 15, 2018, Nwachuku arranged to meet two women at Winslade Way, a Catford alleyway. Upon arrival, Nwachuku was described as acting strangely, and without warning attacked one of the women, hitting her in the head with a glass bottle.

The woman was able to run away and call the police, but while she did so Nwachukwu attacked the second woman with the glass bottle and punched her in the head. He then raped her.

When police officers arrived on scene, Nwachukwu was detained and both women were taken by the London Ambulance Service to a London Hospital.

Detective Constable Dean Young, of the South East Safeguarding Unit, praised the women for their courage and said that he hopes that the conviction of such “a predatory and dangerous man” will bring them some closure.